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Novel Catalog
Chapter 2: I Truly Pity You
Stella: Nathaniel, it must have been a rough couple of years for you.
Stella: I know you don’t love her. Let’s meet tonight. I really miss you.
Cecilia stared at her phone, the screen dimming as her mind struggled to process the message. She couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was about to shatter.
With a deep breath, she hailed a cab and directed it toward Nathaniel’s company. As the city blurred past her, the endless drizzle outside seemed to echo her unease, each drop a reminder that nothing would ever change.
Nathaniel hated it when Cecilia visited his office. So, as always, she used the service elevator at the back to avoid detection.
Mason Sanders, Nathaniel’s ever-calm assistant, greeted her with a cool nod. “Ms. Smith,” he said, offering no more than the bare minimum of acknowledgment.
No one at Nathaniel’s side ever recognized her as the lady of the Rainsworth family. To them, she was invisible—an existence to be kept in the shadows.
When Nathaniel saw Cecilia, still holding the phone she had brought him, his brow furrowed in mild annoyance. He was used to this by now. Whether it was a forgotten lunch, a document, a coat, or even an umbrella, she always appeared with something she thought he’d left behind.
“I’ve told you before, there’s no need for you to keep bringing me things,” Nathaniel said, his voice tinged with impatience.
Cecilia blinked, taken aback. “Sorry, I forgot.”
Forgot? When had her memory become so unreliable? Perhaps it was the message from Stella that had rattled her, making her fear that Nathaniel would simply vanish from her life one day.
As she turned to leave, she hesitated, her voice quiet but urgent. “Nathaniel, do you still have feelings for Stella?”
Nathaniel gave her an odd look, as if trying to piece together her sudden change in behavior. She had always been forgetful, but now she was asking questions that were… strange, even for her.
How could she possibly be his wife if she couldn’t even understand him?
“If you have too much time on your hands, find something productive to do,” he replied, his tone cutting off the conversation.
Once again, Cecilia received no answer. In the past, she had tried to find a job, something to give her life meaning. But every attempt had been thwarted by the Rainsworth family’s elders, who claimed her public appearances were damaging to their image.
Nathaniel’s mother, Elena Griffiths, had once bluntly asked, “Do you want the world to know Nathaniel married a wife with a hearing disability?”
Back at Daltonia Villa, Cecilia tried to keep busy, cleaning, tidying, doing anything to distract herself from the gnawing emptiness she felt. Even though the house was spotless, she couldn’t stop herself from trying to uncover her last scrap of worth.
That afternoon, no text came from Nathaniel. Usually, this meant he was either too busy or upset with her.
The night crept on, heavy with the kind of silence that made her thoughts feel unbearable.
Then, as the darkness settled in, her phone rang.
It was a call from an unknown number. Her heart skipped a beat when she recognized the voice.
It was Stella.
“Ceci, are you there? Nathaniel is drunk. Could you come pick him up?”
At Elite Club, Nathaniel sat at the head of the table, absentmindedly swirling his drink. Stella, seated beside him, was surrounded by a group of eager young men, all pushing her to sing.
“Stella, didn’t you come back to win back Mr. Rainsworth?” one of them teased. “Go ahead, sing your heart out. Confess your love to him!”
Stella was no stranger to the limelight. With her beauty and charm, she had always been adored by high society. And with Nathaniel as her first love, the young men were eager to play matchmaker.
Without hesitation, Stella stood, choosing a song by Hestryan called Into Your Heart.
Her voice was enchanting, smooth, and powerful—filling the room with a silence that made every listener hold their breath.
“I wish for the evening breeze to carry me into the depths of your heart…”
The moment Cecilia arrived at the entrance to the private room, the song ended. Inside, the conversation had already shifted to Nathaniel’s feelings.
“Nathaniel,” Zachary Sinclair, Nathaniel’s close friend, said, his voice thick with enthusiasm. “You’ve waited for Stella for three years. Now that she’s back, you should express your feelings. She’s already confessed to you.”
Cecilia froze in place, her fists clenched tightly. Her heart sank as she heard Zachary’s words.
Just then, the door to the private room opened as a man entered to use the restroom. When he saw Cecilia, he blinked in surprise.
“Ms. Smith?”
Suddenly, the room fell silent as all eyes turned toward her.
As Cecilia stepped inside, she immediately locked eyes with Nathaniel. His gaze was clear and sober—there was no sign of drunkenness.
She realized, with a painful jolt, that she had been played. Stella’s earlier message had been a lie.
Nathaniel’s eyes narrowed as he noticed her standing there. The awkwardness in the room was palpable. Zachary, who had just urged Nathaniel to pursue Stella, now shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
Cecilia shouldn’t have come here. She wasn’t supposed to be in this world.
“Don’t misunderstand, Ceci,” Stella spoke up, her voice smooth as silk. “Zachary was just joking. Nathaniel and I are only friends.”
Before Cecilia could respond, Nathaniel stood abruptly, his impatience evident.
“You don’t need to explain anything to her,” he snapped.
Without another word, he walked toward Cecilia, his expression cold. “What are you doing here?”
“I thought you were drunk, so I came to take you home,” Cecilia answered honestly, her voice trembling.
Nathaniel sneered. “It seems you didn’t remember a single word I said today.”
He lowered his voice, speaking in a tone that was only meant for her. “Do you think everyone has forgotten how I, Nathaniel, was deceived? Is that why you’re here, to remind them?”
Cecilia stood frozen, a cold wave of realization crashing over her.
Nathaniel’s eyes turned icy. “Don’t try to assert your presence when it’s not needed. You’re only making me despise you more.”
With that, he turned and walked away, leaving her standing there, heartbroken and humiliated.
As she stood alone in the doorway, watching his retreating figure, it took Cecilia a long time to gather her thoughts. That night had been the one where Nathaniel had spoken the most to her, but also the one where he had hurt her the most.
Inside the room, the wealthy young men watched with a detached indifference. Zachary, less restrained than the others, turned to Stella with a grin.
“Stella, you’re a good person. There’s nothing to explain. If Cecilia hadn’t tricked Nathaniel into marriage, he would have married you. You wouldn’t have had to struggle in a foreign country for all these years.”
Cecilia’s ears rang, the hum of the noise filling her senses, yet she heard every word clearly.
She understood. She had always understood.
Nathaniel would never have married Stella—who had no family background—no matter what had happened. Stella had known this too, which was why she had chosen to leave and cross the ocean.
But now, it seemed, everything was her fault.
Back at Daltonia Villa, the darkness and silence greeted her. It felt unchanged, just like always.
Nathaniel hadn’t returned.
Cecilia stood at the doorway, umbrella in hand, feeling as if she were enveloped by the night. For a moment, she didn’t want to go inside. The house felt like a prison of solitude, and so she walked to the gazebo, where the cold wind and the rain surrounded her.
Time passed, unmeasured, until a figure appeared before her—Stella, elegantly dressed, her high heels clicking softly on the wet ground.
“It’s cold tonight, isn’t it?” Stella said, sitting beside her. “How does it feel to seek out Nathaniel in the middle of the night, only to be mocked by him?”
Cecilia remained silent.
Stella continued without waiting for a response. “You know, I used to envy you. You had a wonderful family, a loving father, and everything was so easy for you. But now? Now, I truly pity you. I pity how you’ve loved Nathaniel for over a decade, yet he hasn’t returned a single ounce of that love.”
